Lakers/Magic Game 5 Chat

There is nothing harder in basketball than closing out a team in a playoff series — teams take their play to another level when it’s season is on the line. The Magic have been a scrappy team and that will play their best ball tonight.

If the Lakers play like a team that has two more games at home, they will be in trouble. But if they are close at the end, that has to be in the heads of the Magic players.

This should be a fun one. More than anything else, be sure to enjoy the ride.

Harold, I was wondering in a previous thread whether a Kobe-Ariza-Odom-Gasol-Bynum line-up couldn’t work. Odom is hitting from 3, you have two (and a half) guys who can bring up the ball; low-post-scoring, mid-range game, the ability to switch picks on the perimeter…

thanks kurt i love this site and all the othe rlaker fans here. this has been a hell of a ride since last years finals. I salute every person who wanted to stick with odom last offseason, he has really impressed me this year.

the lakers never panicked this whole offseason, lord knows i did a couple times a sign that Kobe is a great leader, I think as his jumping ability lessons he will become the all around player we have seen these finals, I am so proud of our squad.

Lakers have been impressive tonight, but this is plain and simply not the Magic’s best game. Not like Houston was playing in game 7 or the Nuggets were playing in game 6. Like we saw in game 1 of the finals, the Magic can play bad, and not have the mental toughness to every time figure out how to compete even when the game doesn’t start off going their way.

Ah, so this is the sweet taste of victory. Winning the NBA championship, cheering our team to the pinnacle of this sport. But, it is not the victory that brings us sweetness. It is the long 82 game regular season, all 23 games played in this postseason, all the rigors of this season. It is the tough December losses, the mental break-downs in January, the beautiful road streak in February, the frustrating losses in March. It is the Christmas game, the back to back @Boston, @Cleveland games. It is the leads given up against Utah, the blowout against the Yao-less Rockets, the home loss against Denver. It is the Game 7 victory against Houston, the Game 6 closeout in Denver, and this closeout here in Orlando. It is Fisher’s struggles and redemption, Lamar’s excellent form, break-down, injury, and now return to form. It is Andrew’s coming out, injury, and coming back as a role player. It is Gasol and Kobe’s consistency and fire. It is Sasha’s shooting woes, Jordan’s struggles, Luke’s benching, Ariza’s development, and Powell’s bad hands. It is the pain of last year’s Finals loss, Boston’s Game 4 comeback, the 39 point blowout in Game 6.

It is the entire journey, with all its pain, suffering, joy, jubilation, frustration, relief, and exuberance, that makes this victory sweet.

To all of us who stuck around this entire season and last: we’ve earned this as fans. We’ve been here through the good times and the bad. We’ve born all the trials and tribulations that the team has gone through. We as fans have earned this sweet, sweet victory.

@harold,
Biggest, most genuinely happy smile you’ve ever seen on him. Big, big tight hug with Fisher and now he’s over with his daughters and just grinning like an idiot. The man looks truly happy. And frankly, he’s earned it.

Shaq will get a fifth… as will kobe when shaq signs for the veterans minimum in two years, I will always love Shaq and what he did here, but this is the best all around team championship since showtime.

I’m a late bloomer when it comes to being a basketball fan.. Started following the Lakers on 2005 only because Kobe is the only player that I know.. Got heart broken because of the two 1st round exits against Phoenix.. Was very happy for the team last year, and now.. This is IT! The feeling of winning it all! What a great feeling indeed.. By the way, I was not able to watch a SINGLE LAKERS’ GAME, only following them through this blog and yahoosports